Today we give special thanks and recognition to our veterans as our country comes together in honor of the brave women and men who have served and protected us and continue to do so. We feel it is imperative, especially today, to remember that our veterans span all generations and all wars. We must continue in joining together and actively recognizing our veterans every day.

Earlier this month Kelly Frels, past President of the State Bar of Texas and close friend of Last Plane Out of Saigon author Richard Pena, shared with our team a significant article from The Buzz Magazines. This article highlights the trip Kelly Frels took to Europe to visit the places his father was at during WWI. As this Veteran’s Day is the 100th Anniversary of the end of WWI, we wanted to share Kelly Frels’ distinctive story.

November 11, 2018, will mark the 100th Anniversary of the end of WWI. My father was a 22-year-old soldier in the United States Army whose 90th Division, under the command of General Pershing, was fighting the Germans in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive just Northwest of Verdun, France when the Armistice was signed at 11:00 A.M. on November 11, 1918.”

- Kelly Frels

“Attorney Kelly Frels grew up knowing his father had fought in World War I. When he and his wife Carmela saw a PBS special series last year on the war, they pulled out his father's "memory box."

“There . . . they found the diary he had kept of his service in the American Expeditionary Forces of the U.S. Army in Northern France in 1918 and 1919.”

“Inspired to learn more, Kelly and Carmela decided to extend a planned trip to Europe.”

“Their foray into the past opened their eyes to the bitter realities of that war, and the way it set the stage for the next one.”

“While the death toll of World War II was significantly higher, 10 million soldiers alone died in World War l. The total deaths of 20 million at that time was staggering. The intensity of the trench warfare during World War I led to battles with astronomical casualty rates - among the highest in history.”

“The Frels’ full immersion in the story of the war plunged them into some of humanity's darkest hours, making their way into the trenches and battlefields, visiting the memorials and museums. Some towns had been obliterated - nine villages in the Meuse department alone - and, as a memorial to their loss, the French had decided not to rebuild there.”

“The Frels had traveled here [to these parts of Europe] before with a much lighter focus…This year, with the centennial of WWI, the area took on additional significance.”

We leave you with a final powerful quote from Kelly Frels regarding his father’s commentary on war:

His comments, when made, were more about the suffering of the civilians and the soldiers affected by the conflict. He felt that war was a terrible waste of people and a squandering of resources. He believed that world leaders should take extraordinary caution to avoid wars, because what started as another European war of seemingly limited scope became the first world war.”

- Kelly Frels

As a nation we do more for all of our veterans. Service women and men give up everything when they go and fight for us and when they return it is our duty to help them, to recognize their sacrifice and to show our respect for them.

Author

Christiane CallowayAttended the University of Texas at Austin where she majored in Advertising. She is currently the Marketing Director for the Law Offices of Richard Pena and the book Last Plane Out of Saigon.